Health Homes in Nova Scotia

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Nova Scotia has a vision for primary care for all Nova Scotians. This means we are putting the steps in place to ensure everyone has access to the care they need, when they need it, no matter who they are or where they live.

As part of your primary health care journey, our goal is to connect you to a Health Home based on the area you live in. Similar to how Nova Scotians are assigned to a school, based on where they live. 

What are Health Homes?

A Health Home is the word we use to describe a way that care is delivered, where family doctors or nurse practitioners work with a team, including family practice nurses, pharmacists, and social workers, to provide coordinated, easy to access, and patient focused care.    

This team approach ensures that most of your healthcare needs are coordinated throughout your life, making the Health Home a central place for managing your primary health care needs.  

Across Nova Scotia, we have been investing in new and expanding existing practices to become Health Homes.  There are currently over 100 Health Homes in Nova Scotia and we continue to invest in creating new and strengthening existing Health Homes across the province.

Health Homes are a popular evidence-based model of care across North America. In other parts of Canada, they may be called Patient Medical Homes. This model of care has been supported and developed by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Learn more about their vision for Health Homes here.

How can I access a Health Home?

The first step is signing up for the Need a Family Practice Registry. When a Health Home informs Nova Scotia Health that it can accept new patients, we provide them with a list of people from the Need a Family Practice Registry in their community. The Health Home then contacts people from that list to invite them to join their practice.  

Health Homes accept new patients from the registry based on their capacity at that time. Therefore, we are unable to confirm where you are on the registry or when you will be connected to a primary care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner).  

What types of health care providers work in a Health Home?

Every Health Home is different and may include a number of different health professionals. Each member of the team works closely together in order to provide the most comprehensive and efficient care for every patient.

Some examples of health care professionals who work in a Health Home include:

• Family doctor
• Nurse practitioner
• Family practice nurse
• Administrative staff
• Social worker
• Dietician
• Physiotherapist
• Medical resident and learners